RHEUMATIC DISORDERS IN CROHNS-DISEASE AND ULCERATIVE-COLITIS INCIDENCE OF NONINFLAMMATORY FACTORS

82 consecutive outpatients with Crohn's disease (n=52) and ulcerative colitis (n=30) were examined ambulatory. Rheumatic complaints, objecti ve results and diagnosis were correlated to the activity of the underl ying illness and the extent of the bowel affected. 61% of the examined patients complaint about rheumatic pains. In two thirds this could be attributed to noninflammatory causes (30% insertion tendinitis, 16% d egenerative arthritis, 16% wrong carriage), which appeared to be indep endent of the activity and severity of the underlying disease. One fou rth of the rheumatic complaints was caused by inflammation (21% arthri tis, 5% sacroileitis). In these cases a dependency on the disease acti vity and the extent of the colon involvement could be found. No cause was found for 12% of the rheumatic complaints. In patients with ulcera tive colitis suffering from arthritis a significant increase of diseas e activity (Rachmilewitz index) could be shown as compared to ulcerati ve colitis patients without arthritis (p<0.02). For patients with Croh n's disease no significant correlation between arthritis and disease a ctivity could be established. In these cases the occurrence of arthrit is was associated with the colon involvement (Chi(2) = 8,48). The data indicate the high frequency of rheumatic complaints in inflammatory b owel diseases due to noninflammatory causes.